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DVD Shopping Bag: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray

The time has come again to add yet another Middle Earth Blu-ray to our library. Now the question, like so many more that are about to follow, is: Why buy this one when we all know an Expanded Edition is coming? I am going to try and answer that along with asking a few other questions, as well, in the DVD Shopping Dag’s “Questions. Questions that need answering” about the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray. If you are not a fan of the film, or are waiting for the complete Bilbo Trilogy, then I’ll chat with you on that release in the fall of 2015.

Back in 2002, I purchased The Fellowship of the Ring DVD like so many of you. Of course, I was upset that an Expanded Edition was coming out a few months later. I watched the regular edition over and over again and then purchased my Expanded Edition later that winter. Have I ever gone back and watched the regular edition? Yes. However, it was with a live orchestra and choir. The theatrical edition(s) now seem as though they are missing something.

Question #1: Why buy The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray when another is months away?

The transfer on this version from the Red Cameras is simply amazing. Middle Earth has never looked better. It will be months before the Expanded Edition comes out and the wait for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is still 9 months away. If you need your fix for Middle Earth, then, by all means, pick up this Blu-ray. Personally, I saw the film twice in the theater and popped this one in with no hesitation. Seeing Bilbo, Gandalf, Balin, and Thorin was like catching up with old friends.

Question #2: What am I getting with this Blu-ray?

That sad part is, outside of a beautiful transfer and incredible sound, not much. Sure, I can transfer it to my mobile device, but there is only one 6 minute special feature highlighting New Zealand’s beauty. If you missed the Video Blogs (which was hard to do since Mania posted them all), they are on the Blu-ray. Thus, making over an hour of behind the scenes footage that we have all already seen. I understand that all of Weta is working on the follow up films and probably ten other projects. Weta, seriously, I forgive you, but only this one time.

Question #3: What will be on the Expanded Edition?

Good question. There will undoubtably be a “behind the scenes” documentary that rivals the one on the Lord of the Rings. I would also expect to see more gore and violence. In the Expanded Fellowship of the Ring, a few scenes were added here and there that Jackson thought would get cut or up the rating. Perhaps we will see The Pale Orc actually lose his arm?

My argument is pretty weak for these first three questions. I will buy the expanded edition when it arrives. However, I don’t have that option until later this year. The chance to walk in Middle Earth, at my leisure, is too good to pass up. I’m not done there... I still have more “Questions. Questions that need answering”.

I have never read “The Appendices,” but I have few simple questions that need asking. So please forgive me as my Geekery only goes so far with Professor’s Tolkien’s work.

Question #4: What happened to the two Blue Wizards?

There is mention of them, but they really seem to be the loafers of the group.

Question #5: Where are all the other dragons?

Smaug gets all the screen time, but he couldn’t have been the only one EVER.

Question #5: Why did the “noble” Elves not help the Dwarves at Erebor?

I understand Thorin’s hostility, just not the blatant disregard for life that the Elves displayed. It seemed like a jerk move with no motive. I hope there is answer to this.

Question #6: The Arkenstone looked pretty, but did actually do anything?

There will probably be answer to this one. At least I hope there is.

Question #7: Why did Bilbo (Ian Holm) do the opening narration?

I get that it is his story this time around, but, on a whole, it should have been Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel. It makes sense for the complete tale of Middle Earth.

There you have it, Maniacs. Watching the film at home was incredible. What will I do with my Blu-ray come the release of the Expanded Edition? Who knows. That’s a problem for another day. As for now, I’m off on an adventure.

To answer a few of your questions . . . Bilbo narrates the beginning of the film because he is the author of "There and Back Again" and we are being led to believe that Frodo after reading the original text is now getting the "True" story which is a reference to the inclusion of tales from the Appendices.

The Arkenstone is rumoured to be one of the Silmarills and may hold some power.

There are other dragons but their presence had been waning at the time of Smaugs appearance.

in the Film Bilbo mentions that the Elves did not want to risk their numbers against Smaug. also the dwarves thirst for gold had poisoned their minds and in my opinion the elves thought that the dwarves had brought this on themselves through avarice.

Arkenstone means roughly "precious stone", although the element *arken does not exist in modern English. Arkenstone is a modernization of an ancient word which appears in the Edda as jarknasteinn and in Old English as eorclanstán.

Note that Tolkien used the word eorclanstánas to refer to the Silmarilli in Old English texts by Eriol.[3] Some fans explore the possibility that the Arkenstone was one of the Silmarilli, specifically the one Maedhros threw in the chasm, until supposedly found by the Dwarves of Erebor.[4]

On the topic of fantasy adventures now on bluray, I just recently discovered (assuming the source is accurate) that the recent Willow bluray/dvd combo release has only 3 deleted scenes that were released. That's very disappointing considering there were many more scenes that were cut. Alas, George Lucas has done the same thing with Willow that he's done with the Star Wars bluray release; only a limited number of deleted scenes were released likely because they're holding back until the next home video "super high definition" makes it to the marketplace. Very selfish indeed!